Throwing up concerns about novel foods

The lack of immediate social acceptance of new foods is sometimes dismissed by Australian scientists and representatives of government agencies. They believe that any consumer resistance to these products is the result of ignorance. They argue that without sufficient knowledge of the biology of genetic engineering consumers may, in the short term, be unduly suspicious of new scientific advances. According o some prominent geneticists, suitable education is viewed as the mechanism to dispel the public's supposedly 'irrational' fears (Peacock 1994; as discussed also in chapters 3, 10 and ll). In contrast, social research is increasingly showing there is growing public disquiet towards biotechnology.